Air conditioning or refrigeration system with means for cooling the compressor and controls



Jan. 24, 1967 l. KRAMER 3,299,658

AIR CONDITIONING OR REFRIGERATION SYSTEM WITH MEANS FOR I COOLING THE COMPRESSOR AND CONTROLS Filed March 12, 1965 INVENTOR United States Patent 3 299,658 AIR CONDITIONING 0R REFRIGERATION SYS- TEM WITH MEANS FOR COOLING THE COM- PRESSGR AND CONTROLS Israel Kramer, Trenton, N .J., assignor to Kramer Trenton (10., Trenton, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Mar. 12, 1965, Ser. No. 439,146 5 Claims. (Cl. 62263) This invention relates to an Air Conditioning or Refrigeration System with Means for Cooling the Compressor and Controls, and has for its main object to construct and arrange the parts of the high side unit so that a powerful air stream generated by the condenser fan or fans is compelled to blast downwardly upon the compressor head or heads (when there are a plurality) as well as to bathe the box, or the like, which contains the controls and the sensitive devices for governing their operation, thus avoiding loss of overall volumetric efficiency of the compressor, which is reflected in the entire system, and undesired interruption of the activity of any of the controls; the course of the air stream being largely directed by a hood-like part which acts as a discharge guide and cooperates with a top, side walls and/or back of or at the unit to force the cool air that enters the condensing coil horizontally to blast downwardly and be discharged in elevated temperatures at the base of the unit as dis tinguished from and to prevent recirculation of the warm discharged air therewithin, thus avoiding the strong tendency of the warmer discharged air to rise and mix with the cool air entering the condenser which would deleteriously affect the heat dissipating power of the above mentioned downward blast upon the compressor. The said hood is also adapted to be raised and serve as a partial shelter for a servicing attendant.

Another object is to provide such a unit that is well and efiiciently suited for systems in which the operating evaporator temperature is below 0 F., when compression ratios rise to generate increased heat of compression in the compressor discharge chambers or heads.

Another object is to provide for the generation of an air stream through the condenser that is very powerful e.g. having approximately a velocity of four to six hundred feet per minute at the face of the condensing coil and a mass of approximately two tons of air per hour per ton of refrigeration at the evaporator.

Another object is to locate the box, or the like, containing the controls and their associated governing devices within the line of the air stream, out of the sun and in a position of accessibility to an attendant on a ladder or the equivalent.

A further object is to provide certain improvements in the construction and arrangement of the several parts whereby the above named objects and others inherent in the invention are efficiently attained.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate the invention embodied in a so-called straddle system because it is installed in a straddling position on a building wall with the high side unit on the outside exposed to weather conditions and the low side within the building below the roof for cooling effect:

FIG. 1 represents a side view, partly in section, of the entire system in operative installation, with the most characteristic part or member shown in two positions in full and broken lines; and

FIG. 2 represents a front elevation of the same, partly in broken lines.

In brief summary, the invention contemplates constructing and arranging the high side unit with the condenser near the top thereof; the compressor below the condenser; and the liquid receiver, Thermobank (see Patent No. 2,440,146 and No. 2,718,764), if used, and the box, or

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the like, containing the control instruments at the bottom; the whole being contained in a housing which latter is provided with an air discharge hood that forces the stream to follow the desired course and attain the purpose of cooling the compressor and elements therebelow, as well as, when raised, affording a partial shelter for an attendant servicing the unit.

It is well known that, in an air conditioning or refrigerating system which has an evaporator temperature below 0 F., the heat of compression can seriously atfect the volumetric efiiciency of the compressor and, consequently, of the whole system. This condition results not only from the heat caused by the compression stroke of the piston or pistons of the compressor, but importantly by the heated state of parts within the compressor head, i.e. the valve plate and the partition between the suction and discharge chambers, which cause the gas drawn in by the suction strokes to be elevated to a very high temperature resulting in the above mentioned lessening of volumetric efiiciency. The seriousness of this increases with the lowering of evaporator temperature and, by way of example, is of utmost concern in a system having an evaporator temperature of, say, minus thirty degrees F. as in an ice cream hardening installation. This not only deleteriously affects the volumetric efficiency by decreasing the amount of gas that enters the cylinder on the suction strokes, but also hampers lubrication. It is likewise important to prevent the instruments within the control box, or the like, from being subjected to excessive heat, e.g. sun or electrical, as the activity of the instruments is usually governed by bimetallic safety devices that are delicately susceptible to temperature.

I have determined that the foregoing enumerated disadvantages are notably ameliorated by arranging the high side of the system within a housing, the condenser above, the compressor below it, and the control box and other elements, such as receiver and Thermobank, if used, at the bottom, causing the condenser fans to propel a very powerful air stream and guiding the latter to first blast the head or heads of the compressor and thereafter to bathe the parts below it, especially with the provision of an exit air hood at the lower part of the housing that prevents recirculation of the air stream as above explained. As also pointed out, this hood is so constructed and ar ranged that it can be raised and effectively serve as an access door and a partial shelter for an attendant when servicing the equipment.

Referring to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings: a portion of a building wall is marked 1 and a portion of the adjoining roof 2. It will be seen that the stradle system includes a frame member 3 which passes horizontally through a depression in the top of the wall and supports the high side unit, that is denoted generally by 4, on the exterior thereof and the low side unit, indicated as a whole by 5, within the building just beneath the roof. The frame member 3 is duplicated, as illustrated in FIG. 2, and one or more angle braces 6 may be employed to secure the said frame members in position on the wall 1.

There will be no detailed description of the low side due to the fact that its elements and melt drain are conventional, so to speak, and constitute no part of this invention which is directed to the high side.

The latter embodies a housing composed of a top 7, sides 8, 9, front 10, and back 11. The latter may, if desired, be omitted when the high side unit hugs a building wall as, for instance, in the straddle system above mentioned.

In the upper portion of the housing is a suitably supported condenser, which, with its fans and motors, is denoted as a whole by 12. The motors and fans are constructed to have the capacity of generating an air stream of large power and volume, e.g. a speed of four to six hundred feet per minute and a mass of two air tons per hour per ton (12,000 B.t.u.s per hour at the evaporator).

Below the condenser is mounted the compressor which may be of any approved design, including V and W, and any desired number of cylinders, together with its motor, this assembly being marked 13.

Finally, beneath the compressor, are the receiver 14, the Thermobank 15 (if desired), and frequently a surge drum (not shown) and, importantly, the control box 16-.

A very valuable and significant part or member is the adjustable hood which is arranged to constitute the lower front half of the high side housing and consists of a body portion 17 and sides 18, 19. The two sides of this hood are shown as essentially triangular in form and the hood is shown as pivoted or hinged to the housing at a point adjacent the bottom of the condenser, as clearly illustrated by the four hinges in FIG. 2, two of which are marked 20. Normally, this element takes the position depicted in FIG. 1, with its sides contacting the high side housing to constitute a guide for the air stream established by the condenser fans, thus, in conjunction with the back, top and sides of the housing, forcing the powerful air stream to take a downward :path blasting the head or heads of the compressor and bathing the elements therebelow, notably the control box, for the purpose above explained. This hood is desirably held in this position by detachable conventional means, such as a retractile coil spring 21, fastened to the lower edge of its body portion 17 and removably hooked into an eye on the housing.

The bulk of the above mentioned receiver, control box, Thermobank (if used) and surge drum (if used) may constitute a substantial obstacle to the downward flow of the air stream, so that the slanting position of the hood assists materially in the air outflow; on the other hand, when some of the above named elements are omitted or the housing of the high side is very large, this slant of the hood is not so necessary and it may be so formed, by reducing the shape of its sides, as to lie practically parallel with the housing.

Another advantageous feature of this hood lies in its adaptability for upward swinging about the hinges 20 into the position represented by broken lines in FIG. 1. When thus moved the hood becomes a shelter under which an attendant, standing on a ladder, or its equivalent, may service all the parts, including thecontrol box 16, largely protected from adverse weather conditions and with both hands free. Here again this part may be held in its raised position just described by any suitable known means, such as a pair of snap slides pivoted to its side edges, one of which is partially shown in broken lines in FIG. 1 and indicated by 22. It will be understood that the free ends of these slides are notched for engagement with pins, or the like, (not shown) on the sides 18, 19, of the hood 17.

For completeness it should be mentioned that the high and low side units of the system are connected by the usual conduits to constitute a closed refrigerant circuit,

the said conduits being designated as the compressor discharge 23 leading to the condenser; the line 24 from the condenser to the receiver; the liquid line 25 with the usual expansion valve 26 connecting the receiver and the evaporator; and the suction line 27 running from the evaporator to the compressor intake. These conduits are well understood and, of themselves, form no part of this invention, but it may be said that they are nested within the arms 3, ,3. V I

The arrows on FIG, 1 depict the flow course of the air stream, entering horizontally at the condenser and then being deflected downwardly by the back, sides and top of the housing which back, as noted above, may be a part of the housing itself or the wall of a building when the high side unit is mounted there against, and finally passing outwardly through the hood 17 after blasting the head or heads of the compressor and bathing the elements therebelow, especially the control box 16, to regulate the temperature affecting the bimetal devices which govern the instruments within the box. This hood is the most significant feature of the invention, cooperating with the positioning of the condenser, compressor and parts below as well as with the housing itself, the bottom of which may be closed or open as shown. The utility of the hood as a shelter when swung upwardly is of recognizable value, but its most important and significant function is its positive direction of the powerful air stream which materially affects the head temperature of the compressor to improve the volumetric efliciency of the latter and, hence, of the system as a whole, as well as insuring against the recirculation upwardly of the discharged warm air and its mixing with the cool air stream that is drawn into the condenser.

I desire it to be understand that various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the invention, and that I do not intend to be limited to details herein shown or described except as the same are included in the claims or may be required by disclosures of the prior art.

What I claim is:

1. In an air conditioning or refrigeration system, a high side unit designed and adapted for outdoor installation in permanent connection with a building, said unit comprising, a housing, condenser and compressor within the housing, the former being positioned higher than the latter, means for generating an essentially horizontal air stream through the condenser, means for deflecting the stream downwardly to blast the upper portion of the compressor, and means for causing the stream to follow a path further downward consisting of a swingable hood secured at its upper portion to the housing adjacent the bottom of the condenser and extending downwardly therefrom.

2. A unit as defined in claim 1, in which the hood has a body portion and sides shaped normally to contact the housing and cause the body portion to flare outwardly and downwardly, and in which the hood is pivoted to the housing at its upper portion and is adapted to be swung on its pivot to a raised position and constitute a shelter for a servicing attendant.

3. A high side unit as defined in claim 1, in which heat sensitive controls affecting certain elements of the unit are located in the housing and in the path of the air stream.

4. A high side unit as defined in claim 1, in which the top, sides and back of the housing constitute the means for deflecting the air stream downwardly.

5. A system as defined in claim 1, which includes a low side unit, with a frame connecting the high and low sides, the said frame being designed and adapted to pass horizontally through a depression in the top of a wall of a building and permanently support the high side unit depending along the outer face of the said wall and the low side within the building.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,719,410 10/1955 Deering 62-262 3,1 8/1965 Fos er 62*448 MEYER PERLIN, Primary Examiner, 

1. IN AN AIR CONDITIONING OR REFRIGERATION SYSTEM, A HIGH SIDE UNIT DESIGNED AND ADAPTED FOR OUTDOOR INSTALLATION IN PERMANENT CONNECTION WITH A BUILDING, SAID UNIT COMPRISING, A HOUSING, CONDENSER AND COMPRESSOR WITHIN THE HOUSING, THE FORMER BEING POSITIONED HIGHER THAN THE LATTER, MEANS FOR GENERATING AN ESSENTIALLY HORIZONTAL AIR STREAM THROUGH THE CONDENSER, MEANS FOR DEFLECTING THE STREAM DOWNWARDLY TO BLAST THE UPPER PORTION OF THE COMPRESSOR, AND MEANS FOR CAUSING THE STREAM TO FOLLOW A PATH FURTHER DOWNWARD CONSISTING OF A SWINGABLE HOOD SECURED AT ITS UPPER PORTION TO THE HOUSING ADJACENT THE BOTTOM OF THE CONDENSER AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM. 